Let Your Garden Grow
by Squishy Eeyore
Summary: AU Marluxia/Axel fluff. I held a contest on a different site and one of the two winners wanted a Marluxia/Axel fic and this is what I came up with :


I tossed around ideas for this fic endlessly. I wanted to do something that was a collection of drabbles yet a cohesive story at the same time, but I didn't know what kind of premise I wanted. The idea for the premise came to me after hearing my mom complain that winter was going on too damn long and that she wanted it to be gardening season XD

* * *

The sun was clear and bright in the cloudless sky. It blazed down upon the Radiant Community Gardens, beginning to warm the cool dirt beneath Marluxia's feet while the man enjoyed the pleasantly warm morning. He wriggled his toes in the earth and tied his hair back in a loose ponytail. Marluxia bent over and picked up a trowel, surveying his assigned piece of the garden, trying to decide where to start.

"Damnit! Shit!"

Marluxia peered curiously around his trestle of snow peas to see a redheaded man in the neighboring plot stomping repeatedly on something.

"Stupid weedy motherfuckers! I've pulled you, I've sprayed you with herbicide, and yet you still live! Die already!!"

Marluxia snickered… a little more loudly than he intended. The redhead wheeled around to face him. He looked slightly wild-eyed and there was a smudge of dirt on his nose.

"I'm sorry." Marluxia said quickly. "I didn't mean to laugh. It's just… I've never seen such creative gardening before."

Seemingly against his will, the redhead smiled. "Yeah well… this is the first time I've rented space in a community garden… thought I'd have fresh vegetables and fruit this year. What a laugh. I'm almost tempted to set the little buggers on fire."

Marluxia chuckled, "Well, weed torches do exist, but they're banned in community gardens."

"Damn." The man sighed, stamping his foot half-heartedly on the offending weeds once more.

"If you want, I could help you out." Marluxia offered. "I've been gardening here for five years."

The man eyed him beadily, "What's in it for you?"

"The simple joy of your company. In all the years I've been here no one else has ever been here as early as me. People usually only start arriving as I leave."

The redhead eyed him up and down again then unconsciously rubbed the bridge of his nose, smearing more earth there. "Yeah, okay. Teach away, guru."

Marluxia smirked and stepped over the ankle-high fence that separated his lot from the other man's.

"I'm Marluxia." He said, extending his hand to the redhead.

"Axel." The man replied, wiping his hand on his baggy shorts before shaking Marluxia's hand.

Marluxia bent over Axel's garden and examined the little green plants growing there closely.

"Ah yes, purslane weed. It's choking out your carrots."

Axel raised his eyebrows as if to say "and…?" and Marluxia straightened up.

"You have to pull them out one-by-one I'm afraid."

"I already did that!" Axel replied, somewhat indignantly. "The little green bastards just came back!"

Marluxia felt his lips twitching into a smile and it took every ounce of his will to quash the urge.

"You probably just grabbed and pulled, yes?"

"Yeah. So?"

Now the man sounded sulky and defensive. Marluxia had to kill another smile.

"If any fragments of the plant are left in the earth they just come back. You have to pull out the entire plant, roots and all. If you only get the stem you'll have to dig the roots out."

"Seriously? Shit." Axel groaned. "That'll take me forever!"

"Yes, probably." Marluxia said cheerfully. "But your efforts will be worth it once your garden flourishes."

"Damn well better be." The redhead muttered.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll give you more tips once you're done weed picking."

Axel muttered a "thanks" and Marluxia returned to his own garden patch. He kneeled down behind his trestle and began to dig a new row for his onions. After a while he glanced over at Axel. The redhead was on his hands and knees, a lit cigarette dangling from between his lips, cursing and carefully plucking the purslane weed out of the ground one-by-one. Marluxia ducked his head to hide a smile. He sprinkled a handful of green onion seeds into one of his newly dug rows, contemplating his new acquaintance. The redhead was cute in a random, quirky way. Definitely not a conventional gardener, but Marluxia didn't mind at all. He was just glad to finally have some company.

"Yeah you little fucker-weeds." Marluxia heard Axel mutter around his cigarette. "Now you're done for. I've got a guru on my side."

Marluxia shook his head, chuckling as he filled in a row. Most definitely not a conventional gardener.

---

"Your carrots are still better looking than mine." Axel complained.

Marluxia looked up from pruning his rose bush. Axel, today wearing a floppy straw hat that looked as if it once belonged to his mother, was standing at the edge of his lot glaring at Marluxia's carrots as though they caused him great personal offense.

"It's only been a few weeks since you pulled all the purslane weed. It will take some time for your crop to regain its strength. You have to be patient." The man replied. "Although… if you want to give them a boost you can use some of this."

Marluxia grabbed a spray bottle of green liquid from his garden caddy and held it out to Axel.

"What is it?" Axel asked, leaning forward to take the bottle.

"Fertilizer. My own secret blend." Marluxia said. "100% natural and environmentally friendly. Just 2 or 3 sprays per row ought to do it."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Marluxia returned to pruning his rose bush, but he really wasn't paying attention to it. His mind was on Axel. It seemed to stray there more and more often as the weeks went on. He only came back to reality when he accidentally snipped one of the biggest blooms off the bush.

"Oh hell." He cursed, crouching down to pick the rose up.

As he straightened up Marluxia caught a glimpse of Axel. The redhead was looking right at him, grinning.

"What?" He demanded.

"Nothin'." Axel smirked. "Just good to know that even the gurus make mistakes."

Marluxia snorted and his cheeks turned slightly red. He returned to trimming, this time trying to give his full attention. The man could still feel Axel's eyes on him and he glanced up at the redhead again. Axel winked at him then turned away to spray his garden. Marluxia felt his cheeks flare and he hastily returned to pruning his roses.

---

"Where [i]do[/i] you get such… interesting things?" Marluxia asked.

"Huh?" Axel looked up from pulling the weeds in his small strawberry patch. "What do you mean?"

The man nodded at Axel's gardening gloves which were a lurid yellow and covered in ladybugs of varying neon colors.

The redhead grinned and shrugged, "I like gaudy shit."

Marluxia laughed and Axel chuckled, returning to his weed pulling.

"I'm done my work here." The man said, his laughter tapering off. "But… if you'd like, I can help you weed your strawberries."

Axel looked up at him, those intensely green eyes burning into him. Marluxia raised his eyebrows slightly, forcing himself to be calm while his heart hammered against his ribs.

"Yeah, sure." The redhead said finally.

Smiling lightly, Marluxia stepped over the divider fence and kneeled beside Axel.

"Got a pair for me?" He asked, nodding again at Axel's gloves.

"Sure." Axel dug around in one of the large side pockets on his shorts and produced a pair of candy cane-striped gloves, holding them out to Marluxia.

"Thanks."

Marluxia pulled the gloves on and began plucking weeds with efficient speed.

"Damn. Do you grow crack plants in your garden?" Axel asked.

The older man laughed, "No. I've just had lots of practice."

---

"Aggh!"

Marluxia nearly jumped out of his skin when Axel's shout pierced the quiet morning. The pink-haired man jogged around the corner of the community garden's shed to see Axel chasing a little dark shape around his garden.

"You little fuzzy butthole!" Axel roared.

Marluxia laughed as a small black rabbit with oddly crooked ears and large golden eyes leapt gracefully over the small white fence around Axel's garden and hopped off at top speed. The redhead, forgetting completely about the fence in his anger, got his foot caught in it and did a faceplant into Marluxia's eggplants. Marluxia's laughter cut off instantly as he winced.

Ten minutes later Axel sat sulkily on the cedar-chip path that snaked through the garden while Marluxia attended to his wounds.

"You really need to control that fiery temper of yours." Marluxia reprimanded the man lightly as he cleaned the dirt out of Axel's scraped chin.

"Fuh." The redhead scoffed. "The fuzzface was eating my carrots. I worked hard to bring those carrots back from near veggie death…"

"You need to plant some marigolds." Marluxia replied, gently planting a bandage on Axel's chin. "Or he'll be back to finish them off."

"You couldn't have told me that sooner?" Axel asked, wincing as the older man prodded at his ankle.

"I haven't seen a rabbit around here in a long time. I thought they'd driven them out. Your ankle is all right. It might be a little tender… you might want to ice it when you get home just to be on the safe side."

"…Sorry about your eggplants."

"Oh you only squashed two." Marluxia replied, "There will be plenty once they've fully ripened."

---

"Phew…" Axel wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked his garden over. "I can't believe how lush and green everything looks. I wouldn't have gotten this result without you, Marluxia."

The man nodded and smiled, "Yes. All these fruits and vegetables in just a few short months. After the harvest tomorrow you'll be glad that you had to fight off weeds and rabbits."

"I bloody hope so." The redhead replied, wiping his forehead again. "How long before the torture starts again?"

Marluxia's smiled saddened somewhat. "Eight to ten months."

"Whaaat!? I won't see y… I mean I… won't… eight to ten months!?"

The older man nodded, "This time of year is the only time the plants will get the amount sunlight and heat they need. It's too cold or too dark in the other seasons."

"Bummer…" Axel said, surveying his garden.

---

It was another beautiful morning, but Marluxia didn't notice. In previous years he'd looked forward to the harvest the most. This time was different. There had been a small knot of dread in the back of his mind this year. The man sighed and looked back at the wagon he was pulling behind him. It was full of empty baskets waiting to be filled. The sight used to bring him joy. Now it just made him miserable.

"Ah! Oh no!"

Marluxia had rounded the corner of the shed to find no fewer than thirteen rabbits in Axel's garden. They had already eaten half of the redhead's crop and now were busy destroying the rest with their greedy little nibbles. Marluxia ran to the edge of the fence, completely at a loss as to what to do. The marigolds Axel had planted a month and a half ago were gone. Marluxia looked all around the garden and the path. Where had the marigolds gone? The rabbits certainly wouldn't have eaten them as that was what kept them out of gardens. Had someone torn them out on purpose?

"No tips, guru?"

Marluxia whirled around to see Axel standing a few feet behind him.

"Aside from punting the rabbits over the fence and getting angry letters from PETA about it… no." Marluxia replied. "I'm sorry, Axel…"

The man trailed off slightly. There was dirt on Axel's hands and a squashed marigold petal stuck to his shorts.

"I'm not sorry." The redhead said.

Marluxia smiled and looked over at his own untouched garden. "…Can you help me with my harvest? You can come to my place for lunch after. You know… as payment for helping me out. Plus you'll get those fresh veggies and fruit you wanted to try this year."

Axel grinned at him and seemingly produced his floppy straw hat out of nowhere, plunking it down on his fiery red hair.

"I'd love to help… and I'd love lunch too."

* * *

The end X3


End file.
